I love It’s a Wonderful Life but have never considered it a Christmas movie. A Charlie Brown Christmas was never something I really appreciated as it’s visuals are trash for the eyes* (I only ever enjoyed Charlie Brown releases for the Vince Guaraldi music).

**note: if you guys could put televised Christmas broadcasts in your lists (i.e., Charlie Brown and The Grinch), I thought that X-Files would be equally acceptable.

Alan Noble

Charlie Brown does have a unique aesthetic to it that doesn’t please everyone’s tastes. For me, it is the surreal aspects of the design (and the fact that Linus reads a lengthy passage from the Bible in what is perhaps the most sincere monologue ever delivered on TV) that makes me love the show.

Wait, time out… we’re saying discussing whether Elf is silly or not, but we’re just letting pass the stance that It’s a Wonderful Life is annoying?

It’s a Wonderful life is unquestionably a Christmas movie, which they show every Christmas, and it has continued playing every year for a reason. How does it get beat out by X-files and Die Hard? If I were Rich, this is the point where I would be saying, “Am I just going crazy?”

X-Files beats it out because even though It’s a Wonderful Life is great (it hit 44 on my Top 100), I have never imagined it to be a Xmas movie. I’ve always been puzzled by the fact that it’s become associated with the holiday despite having nothing to do with the season or holiday. Granted, there’s a tree at the end, but that’s about it.

So I think It’s a Wonderful Life should be disqualified. Die Hard is far more a Xmas movie than it. So is Trapped in Paradise, incidentally.

David Dunham

It’s a Wonderful Life is nothing more than another humanistic salvation movie.

Boy, I’ll just keep popping the crazy pills, then. Arguing with you guys about quality movies is like being immersed in a Trekkies documentary. You guys can celebrate the season with Bruce Willis, but I’m going to stick with a wonderful life and Sesame Street, thanks. And David, after the 3:10 to Yuma fiasco, you have a long way to go before I trust your movie evaluations!

David Dunham

Ben, That’s a poor example! I needed time to reflect! And, besides, I came around didn’t I!